1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a multipurpose baggage-holder device for vehicles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are many kinds of baggage-holder. The most common comprise a pair of transverse bars fixed to the roof of an automobile to which baggage is attached by means of straps or like members. Fixing means allowing the baggage-holder to be removed usually provide supports for the baggage-holder or at least are in the immediate proximity of the supports. Other types of baggage-holder are in the form of a flat deck or container also fixed to the roof of a vehicle.
These types of baggage-holder are not suitable for attaching to the hatchback or to the rear door of a vehicle.
Baggage-holders specifically intended for this purpose are then used. German patent DE-C-4 134 715 describes a baggage-holder adapted to be fixed to the rear door or hatchback of an automobile vehicle, in particular a minibus, a camper van or another similar vehicle.
Even in the case of baggage-holders intended to be mounted only on the roof, problems arise with many vehicles.
First of all, modern vehicles do not usually have a gutter. The fixing meters which forms supports must incorporate attachment members adapted to be inserted into the gap between the top of the door and the body shell. This imposes a first constraint on the location of these attachment members, even when there is considerable latitude in such positioning.
Many vehicles have a highly curved roof. This severely reduces the choice of attachment points. It may be necessary to have the attachment points less than 0.50 m apart to accomodate the curvature of the roof, which significantly restricts load-carrying capacity.
The roof of modern vehicles is usually rigid only in small areas located along the edges. To prevent a heavy load deforming the metal of the roof the supports must therefore bear only on these areas.
Some types of vehicle, such as cabriolet vehicles, require baggage-holders to be attached to a part of the bodywork other than the roof. The baggage-holder is therefore fitted to the trunk lid, which raises problems of its own.
The situation as outlined above explains why there are so many different types and constructions of baggage-holder, whether for specific uses: trunk lid rack, roof rack, etc, or for vehicles of specific make and model.
The invention is directed to alleviating the drawbacks of prior art baggage-holders by proposing a general purpose baggage-holder which can be mounted in various areas: roof, rear door, hatchback or trunk lid; on the same vehicle or different vehicles: sedan, station wagon, cabriolet, minibus, camper van, etc, without requiring any unusual adaptation. Also, as described in more detail below, the structure of the baggage-holder of the invention is simple, so that it is easily manufactured at low cost.